Oddity
by naggyaggy1
Summary: Ivy's odd. She's weird. A freak if you will. And Gill doesn't like it, she's a blemish on an otherwise perfect town. It's up to him to get rid of her, but does a part of him not want her to go? (Added a more detailed summary and changed the title...I like them better now.)
1. Chapter 1

A look of shock appeared on the Harvest Goddess's face. As her eyebrows shot up, wrinkles formed on her forehead. Her jaw dropped and her aqua eyes widened. And what was the object that made her so surprised, you ask? A blue feather. Even the Harvest Goddess, despite being an almighty lord, knew that down in the human world a blue feather was a declaration of love. Or more specifically a request for marriage. The Harvest Goddess eyed the person offering her the blue feather up and down. His smoldering red eyes were looking at her expectantly. His long fiery hair was braided and floating around his head gracefully. It was none other than the Harvest King.

"Well…?" He asked her. Confidence was riddled in his words. He was a King after all.

The Goddess took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. After the cool oxygen spread throughout her body she was ready to face her suitor. She placed a soothing hand on the Harvest King's arm and shot him a warm smile.

"Why do you want to marry me, tell me."

So she wanted to have a bit of fun with him first, was that so bad? What girl doesn't love attention?

The Harvest King chose his words carefully. "I'm a God, you're a Goddess. Don't we belong together?" He directed a charming smile on his handsome face at her. "Will you be my queen?"

The Harvest Goddess almost snickered in his face. What a line!

"…I'm so sorry, but I don't think so." She told him regretfully.

The look of utter disbelief on his face was a bit amusing to the Goddess, but when it was replaced by disappointment she felt guilty.

"You…won't…be… my queen?" There was bitterness in his words and it made the Harvest Goddess uneasy.

With a sad smile she apologized again.

Abruptly the Harvest King threw the feather to the ground. "You're mistaken! You'll regret this, I promise you! You're rejecting _me_?! You'll pay."

A bright light flashed before the Goddess' eyes. It was so bright that it made her squint. When the light was gone, it seemed the Harvest King had disappeared along with it. It's for the best. The Goddess thought. The Harvest Queen, though? That doesn't sound half bad. She wondered if she should be worried, but decided against it. All the threats the Harvest King made were full of hot air, she was sure of it. He was like a child. One day they are uncontrollably furious with you, the next and they're ready to play. He was just like a child.

* * *

_Bump…bump, bump…bump._

Ivy was being thrown around in the back of a wagon like a doll. Sure there was hay to soften the blows, but it still made the girl cringe with pain every time her body connected with the hard wood.

"Oh hey…Er, what was your name again?" A gruff yet kind voice called out from in front of her. It was the man steering the horse, who was lugging the wagon along the dirt road.

"Ivy's the name, farming's the game." She said with a grin even though the man could not see her.

"Ah, that's right… Ivy… I'm Cain, the owner of Horn Ranch. Nice to meet you!"

"Pleasure to meet ya too, but how long do you reckon before I get to my fancy livins'. I feel like I've been tossed around like a beach ball halfway across the world. You know what I'm saying? Hard on the knees."

Cain let out an awkward chuckle; he wasn't sure how to respond. Finally the girl's words wrapped around his head and he figured out what she was asking.

"It's only a little longer to your house." He informed Ivy as he absentmindedly steered the wiry brown horse in front of him.

Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. She started to admire the scenery around her. The grass that covered the rolling hills was a beautiful green, the sky was a light blue with puffy white clouds looking down at her, and the air smelled fresh, like rain.

"Would you mind if I asked a few questions about yourself until we get there? It's just that it's so unusual for young people to want to start up a ranch these days…" Cain said with a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Well, let me start this. What is your favorite food?"

"Hm…that's a toughie. Most things are pretty finger-lickin' good. Guess I'm gonna have to say nature's children, nature's bounty. Fruits and veggies can sit in my belly for a lifetime, ya know. I ain't no princess, not picky." Ivy's mouth watered when she thought of food, then she remembered that she forgot to eat breakfast this morning. What a shame.

"I see…And when's your birthday?"

"Middle of winter…the sixteenth to be exact." Ivy wondered if it got snowy here. There was always snow falling on her birthday.

Cain nodded his head while she talked. "Gotcha… Anyway, like I was saying, there aren't a lot of ranchers now…I don't see why though, it's pretty nice here."

After this Cain fell silent and the only sound in the air was the horse's hooves stomping along the dirt road. A few minutes later they arrived at a rundown ranch. And when I say rundown, I mean rundown. The white paint was chipping from her farmhouse and the roof didn't even look finished. The coop and barn were on their last legs and the small field was overrun by weeds. Ivy hopped out of the parked wagon and stretched her aching muscles.

"Well, looks like we're here. Good luck!" After affectionately ruffling Ivy's hair, Cain quickly hopped back onto the wagon and rode away. Ivy inspected her new home with a sense of pride. So what if it was a pile of garbage, so what if it would need thousands of dollars in repairs, so what if it was in shambles. It was hers. Everything would turn out just fine.

"Hello! Helloooo!"

Turning to the side, Ivy saw a short and chubby man jogging towards her. His bright blue suit made him look like some kind of blueberry.

"Hello! You must be Ivy! Welcome to Harmonica Town! I'm Mayor Hamilton!" He explained, while waving his arms and bobbing slightly.

Ivy gave him a toothy grin and an eloquent bow. "Good morning your highness. Shall I invite you in for some tea, or perhaps a dead rat?"

Hamilton gasped and looked confused for a minute, then busted out laughing. "What a card, but I don't think that will be necessary. What is necessary is that you know the basics about your ranch. Would you like me to explain them to you?"

Ivy motioned for him to continue. "Preach it, Hammy."

"Alright." Hamilton leaned against the ranch, using his arm as a prop before removing it. His hand was covered in filth and grime, which he wiped on his immaculate suit with disgust. "It may look a bit rusty but with just a little care; it'll look fabulous in no time! Behind you is your plot! I swear Ivy; you could not have picked a better place to start a farm! The land here is perfect for growing crops and business is really booming!" An impossibly big smile was plastered on his face the whole time he was talking. "Oh, I nearly forgot! You can make the 5000G payment for your new land at Town Hall! There's no due date! You can pay it any time!"

Ivy's head hung in disappointment. "I gotta pay for it all? Just when I thought I was home free…a big boulder thrown at me. Knocks me back a couple of feet, man."

Hamilton paid no mind to her ramblings though. "Oh, and I have this for you! It's a map of the surrounding land! I'm sure it will be helpful to get you situated!" he reached into his quite deep pockets and pulled out a slightly crumpled rolled up map.

After Ivy pocketed the map, Hamilton continued.

"And I have this for you too. You'll need this to start a ranch." In his outstretched hands a quite large present, complete with a bow.

Quickly grabbing the present, Ivy began violently shaking it around. Her ear was close to the box and she listened to the objects bang around inside it. "Ah, you didn't have to all this, skippo! But since ya did, my sincerest thanks. So, can I take a whack at what's in this little magic box?"

Soon wrapping paper littered the ground and it was blowing around with the wind. As Hamilton took off as fast as his squat legs could go in pursuit of the strips of colored paper, Ivy was admiring the new tools she had been given. A brand spanking new hoe and watering can were tightly packed in the cardboard box.

"I think I got them all." Hamilton gasped and in his chubby hand was a big wad of paper.

Ivy smiled guiltily. "Sorry 'bout that, milky. Haven't gotten a jack in the box in a long time. Almost forgot the rush you get. Boy does it warm your soul, though."

"Excuse me?"

A confused look appeared on the mayor's face, but Ivy waved him away with her hand.

"Don't pay no mind; I don't talk right most of the time. Maybe I should've paid more attention in grammar class. It was just difficult, ya know? Like getting stung by a bee, hurts at first, and hurts a whole lot after. Anyways, making up words is my way; but if you listen like a bat you can just hear my meaning."

The mayor stared at the girl for a couple of long seconds before breaking out into a hearty chuckle. "You know what? I like you, you've got a funny way of talking but you seem like you have a good heart. Welcome to the town!"

Ivy simultaneously patted her head and rubbed her stomach while Hamilton gave her a brief tour of the vast area. "You'll find Flute Fields over there. There's a farm and a ranch, so they can help you if you have questions. Also… opposite Flute Fields is Harmonica Town. Head this way to get to Garmon Mines."

Once the duo returned to the doorway of the farmhouse, the mayor began to wrap up his visit. "I've also left some helpful books in your bookshelf! If you're not sure about something, take a look! It's likely in a book! Well, I'll be heading back to Town Hall. Once you're ready, stop by the town!"

With a rushed bow and a wave, the pudgy man started jogging back towards Harmonica Town. Soon Ivy was standing in her farm alone, without a soul in sight. First things first. Ivy thought as she tackled the mess of weeds in her field. Without a gloves or a sickle of some kind, it proved to be tough and painful work. Slowly but surely though, the land began clearing and Ivy could see the rich soil poking through. A trickle of sweat ran down her face as she yanked the last weed out of the ground. Smiling with satisfaction, the girl decided to call it quits. She had an awful stitch in her side and was covered dirt and sweat. Maybe even a bit of blood from her hands. After entering her house and washing her hands, Ivy started to look around. It was a cozy place, with patterned wall paper and wooden floors. The twin bed looked comfortable and Ivy found out after bouncing on it a couple times, it was also quite springy. Ivy closed her eyes. Her thoughts drifted from place to place, never dawdling on one thing for very long. Mostly she thought of food. But she also thought of her farm, the people she met, and her family back home. When sleep finally came to her she was already conked out, anxiously waiting for the next new day to begin.


	2. Chapter 2

The bright sun trickled in through the window. It casted a soft yellow gaze over a particular farmhouse and it woke a particular farm girl. After stretching for a couple seconds, Ivy was out the door. To her annoyance, it seemed that all the weeds she pulled yesterday were back and bigger than ever. An hour later, the girl was finally happy with her field. The crops and trees that were planted before she got here were drenched in water and there wasn't a weed in sight. Ivy supposed she should make a quick trip to Harmonica Town to meet her future neighbors. After that she could stop by Flute Fields and visit Marimba Farm. What type of seeds should she get? Maybe potatoes?

* * *

About ten minutes later, Ivy approached the Town Hall. It was a big building with a huge clock above the door. Ivy's hair blew back off her shoulders as a wave of artificial cool air hit her in the face.

"Ivy! I've been waiting for you! Welcome!" Mayor Hamilton looked the same as yesterday. Still short, still round, still jolly as ever. "This is Harmonica Town Hall. You can buy land plots here. Why don't you go introduce yourself to everyone in town? Come back when you're done. Don't forget to visit the church on top of the hill!" The mayor ushered Ivy out of Town Hall before she could utter one word.

Ivy visited the photo shop first, since it was right next to Town Hall. Simon, who was the man who ran the shop, even gave her a camera. She wondered if everyone in town was this kind. That proved to be not true sooner than she would have thought. After swinging by the photo shop she went by the tailors. Ivy found one of the girls who worked there very strange. Her name was Luna.

"Mighty fine day, is it!" She had said to the ladies who ran the shop.

The old woman, Shelly, and her shy granddaughter, Candace, had giggled. Not Luna.

Luna stood there and eyed Ivy up and down with a sense of haughtiness. "Not really." She sneered. "In fact, my day seems to be ruined now."

"Why's that, ginger snap?" Ivy asked trying to be friendly.

The pink-haired girl crossed her arms with a smirk on her face. "No reason…so, why are you here?"

"Hammy told me to make some friends. I'm new to this area and I'm in it to win it. I'm in the deep, like snapping turtle, like alligator. You know?"

Ivy was met with three confused faces.

"What are you saying? I should have known you wouldn't have been here for…fashion. You're not the type." Luna said looking at Ivy's attire.

"Luna! Be polite!" Shelly scolded her granddaughter before apologizing profusely to Ivy.

"S'quite alright. I'm quite pleased with my formal attire. Like I'm going to see the queen." Ivy struck a ridiculously over the top pose, earning a scoff from the Luna.

"Well fellows, I think I'll be taking my fire escape. Don't fret; I'll be back… maybe to even buy some new threads." Ivy cast a knowing wink at the cross Luna, who gave her an eye roll.

With a salute to the ladies, Ivy was out the door. As she strolled down the street, Ivy took the time to admire the big ocean next to the town. It baffled her that such a large body of water could be so calm yet so useful. It housed numerous species of animals. There were all type of fish and plants in the ocean. Even the humans had found way to use the water to their advantage. As if on quo, the sound of a fog horn rang through the town and Ivy saw an incoming boat heading straight for the docks nearby. Ivy jogged over to the floating vehicle and greeted the captain who was standing on the dock. He donned a typical captain's uniform and one hand clutched a carefully polished pipe.

"Yup, I've had this pipe for nearly twenty years. Looks brand new, don't it?" He informed Ivy when he noticed her eyeballing it.

"Right outta the box, I congratulate you." As she bowed to the man she introduced herself as Ivy.

"Pascal."

They shook hands. It turns out Pascal made a living taking passengers to an exotic Toucan Island. As Ivy turned to leave, a girlish shriek forced her to turn back. There was a redhead splashing around in the water by the huge boat. Her arms were flailing around and it was pretty obvious she didn't know how to swim.

"Oh dear!" Exclaimed Pascal. Instantly he began to shed his clothing, preparing to save the girl. Ivy stopped him.

"What are we supposed to do, let her drown?"

"Can you swim with one arm? You're going to be carrying her. Bad nightmare, Popeye. Just stay put."

Ivy sprinted frantically around the docks till her eyes landed on the object of her desire.

"Grab onto it!" she yelled to the splashing redhead.

Though a long wooden plank was extended to the drowning girl, she failed to get ahold of it.

Ivy sighed. Her arms were getting tired. "Grab onto it, you little weasel!"

Finally the girl managed to weakly clasp onto the plank and Ivy pulled her closer. After Pascal and Ivy hauled the dripping girl onto the dock, they got a good look at her. Whatever fancy hairdo styled her hair was ruined by the ocean. Now it just looked like a big blob of red hair on top of her head. It slightly resembled a cherry, Ivy thought and she remembered she skipped breakfast. Makeup was smeared all over the girl's face and she was shivering, trying to rub warmth into her skin. It didn't look like her skimpy outfit provided her with much heat.

"Missy, usually when people scuba dive they have equipment. Snorkels, flippers, the real deal. It seems like you forgot that little detail though." Ivy scolded the wet girl.

The redhead glared at her. "I-I-I wasn't trying to s-scuba dive. I'm not an idiot."

"I'd beg to differ." Ivy mumbled under her breath and the girl shot her another look.

The soaking girl continued. "I'm a dancer, Selena's my name by the way, I live on Toucan Island with my parents. Or should I say lived. It was just us on the island; I can't become famous by only dancing in front of my parents, can I?"

Pascal gave her a strange look. "So what were you doin' in the water?"

Selena blushed sheepishly as she looked up at the captain and young woman looming down on her. She never liked feeling smaller than someone else. "Before you left Toucan Island I kinda, sort of stowed away on your boat before you left. I was getting off the boat and my foot missed the dock…"

"And… KA-SPLOOSH! Wet and wetter over here went head first into the wave pool." Ivy couldn't help joining in.

Selena gave her a look but nodded in affirmative. "Yeah, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Hm…" Pascal stroked his stubbly chin, full of short gray hairs. "Ivy, could you take Selena to the Ocarina Inn. It's just up the stairs that way. I'm sure they will have an extra blanket for her and she can dry off."

The girl nodded. "Message received and confirmed."

As Selena was lead briskly away by the newcomer, Pascal let out a chuckle. It had been one of the more eventful mornings he'd had in ten long years. It was a welcome change.

Ivy felt drool seeping out the sides of her mouth. She quickly wiped the spit away and kept ogling at the delicious soup being place in front of Selena. Hot steam was rising from it and it wafted into Ivy's nose. The owners of Ocarina Inn had been very kind to the dancer. After giving her a change of dry clothes, Yolanda, the head cook had whipped her up a huge bowl of corn soup. Unfortunately for Ivy, Selena wasn't too keen on the idea of sharing.

"Here ya go!" Sang a high pitched voice.

Ivy looked up. A pretty girl with frizzy orange hair was standing over her. Her puffy pink dress was almost double the size of her body and was overwhelming both the girl and Ivy. But more importantly, she had big bowl of pale yellow soup in her outstretched hands.

Ivy quickly snatched the bowl with a huge grin and thanked the girl. The orange haired girl disappeared into the kitchen and Ivy dug into the delicious soup. A few seconds later she returned though, with a bowl as big as Ivy's, filled to the brim with the treasured soup. She sat across from Selena and Ivy and licked her lips.

"Grandma had extra back in the kitchen. Its good thing too, I'm starving! I can't wait to dig into this total yumminess. One day I'll be able to cook this just as good as Grandma, I'll just have to keep practicing." She told Ivy with a giggle in her voice. "I'm Maya!"

Ivy nodded and offered her hand. They slapped palms.

"Ivy. Thanks, I had black hole in my belly too. Was about to start sucking up everything and anything if I didn't get some nutrients soon." She brought the spoon to her mouth and tasted the soup. Ivy sighed contently, it tasted like heaven.

Maya looked at her. "Yeah, I can believe that. You're a tad thin." She said while tipping the huge bowl into her mouth, greedily slurping it up.

With a raised eyebrow, Ivy puffed her chest out and flexed her muscles in an effort to look bigger than she actually was. But a few seconds later she gave up and continued eating.

"Well you're not exactly fat yourself, chicken legs." Ivy commented to Maya.

"Not exactly."

Selena rolled her eyes while listening to the skinny girls' conversations. Unlike the two girls she was sitting next too, she had to burn off each and every calorie she ate. In fact, after this meal she planned to practice dancing for at least an hour, in fear that the soup would go straight to her stomach, or worse her butt. Nobody's ever heard of a fat dancer.

* * *

Ivy stepped out of the inn with a full belly and a skip in her step. Over the next hour she met most of citizens in town. All of them were very kind and only a few looked at Ivy like she was spouting gibberish. It had been a good day.

Ivy made her way back to town hall and informed the mayor of her completing the task.

"Oh it seems you've meet everyone. I hope you become friends with everyone soon!" Hamilton said.

She smiled. "Hopefully…who knows, maybe I'll make a dream team, we can be the baddest gang on the streets. See ya."

"Oh, just a minute Ivy!"

Ivy stopped before leaving.

"I don't think you've met my son, Gill, yet. He's in our house, just next to the school. Would you stop by before leaving town to say hello?"

Ivy saluted the mayor, left town hall, and found his home. She knocked and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, someone finally answered the door. The mayor's son was about her age and looked nothing like Hamilton. While the mayor was short, his son was tall, while the mayor was pudgy, his son was lean, while the mayor had a baby face, his son looked very mature.

Gill flipped his blonde hair out of his face as he eyed Ivy. "Yes…?"

Ivy straightened her slouching posture. "Ah, my formalist of greetings." She offered her hand for a high five, which Gill looked at blankly so she put her hand back down. "I'm Ivy, just moved here yesterday."

Gill's blue eyes looked bored. He nodded at the girl. "Yes, you're the new farmer, correct?"

"Correct as you suspect, 31% rancher, 54% farmer, 29% crazy, and 10% heartbreaker."

Gill leaned against the open door. "That doesn't equal 100% you know."

"Didn't I say something about being 29% crazy?"

"I suppose… well I'm guessing you have to be going soon." Gill hinted.

"Want me outta your hair, eh? It's too you don't have a salon in town…"

Without even a goodbye, Ivy spun around and strolled down the street back the way she came from.

Gill watched her go and sighed. As he closed the door, he supposed he would have to come up with a plan. A good plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Usually in the beginning of Spring the ground is wet and soggy. All the leftover snow from winter has melted into the surface. Gill hated when his shoes got muddy. But today was different. The earth was dry, solid and the sun was shining. Flowers had begun to grow, littering the ground with purples, yellows, blues, and basically any color you could think of. Spring had never been a favorite of Gill's but he could appreciate a beautiful day when he saw one. It was decided. Gill knew what he was going to do on his day off. He grabbed a book off of his impressive stack of them and headed out the door. As Gill made his way to the exit of town, he turned around. He could see the town in whole. It's funny; he never realized how small it was until now. I guess after you've lived here your whole life, it doesn't really hit you until you really start looking. Whatever the case, it would not do. Gill made a mental note to send out more newsletters to the city, hopefully coaxing people to come to Harmonica Town. He turned away from his hometown and continued walking down the dirt path.

As Gill walked past a certain crappy farm his thoughts wandered to Ivy, the newest newcomer in town. Now how would he get rid of her? Scare her off? Make her think her own house was haunted? Too elaborate. It had to be simple and clean, he couldn't leave any evidence behind. Gill just didn't understand how someone so normal could be so…weird. When his father first told him a rancher was moving to the island, he had been delighted. More crops meant more money. And Ivy's appearance didn't disappoint. She wore normal farmer's clothing; it wouldn't matter if her green collared shirt, jean shorts, or work boots got dirty. She was scrawny girl, but with a fairly pretty face, she wouldn't have any trouble finding a boyfriend. On paper she was a great addition to this perfect town. Then she opened her mouth, with her crazy percentages and her lack of social skills. Offering Gill a high five when she just met the future mayor? Ridiculous!

Gill eased himself under a big tree. The huge oak was just next to a small pond, nearby an abandoned house with a water mill. Gill had a perfect view of Ivy's farm. She didn't seem to be out today. Good. Gill began reading. Before he had left, he had grabbed his favorite book. It was a diary-like tale of a man stranded in the woods all by himself. The man wrote of all the loneliness he felt and what measures he took to stay alive in the dark forest. Soon Gill became absorbed in the book, all of the outside noises faded. All the crickets, the nearby waves crashing against the shore, the chirping birds, he heard none of it. It was just him and the book.

Twenty minutes and seventeen pages later, something sharp hit Gill's head.

A painful cry erupted from him.

What hit him was a book. The same book he was reading. Creepy. Gill looked up into the branches of the big oak, to see where the book came from.

"Ah…!"

Gill clutched the books to his chest, squeezed his eyes shut, and braced himself for impact. Luckily the body landed mostly in his lap, narrowly missing his head. Brown eyes popped open looking into Gill's blue ones.

"Holy?"

Ivy scrambled off him, with a little shove of help from Gill.

"Y-you almost killed me! What were you doing?" Gill screeched at her.

Ivy rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Reading, then...? I must've fallen asleep."

Gill stared. "Who reads in a tree, who falls asleep in a tree?"

"Guess you can call me Sleeping Beauty, eh?" Ivy said while shrugging. "Hey, my book!"

She snatched one of the books and pressed it to her chest. Ivy wagged her finger at Gill, resembling a parent disciplining a child. "You know it's not very welcoming to steal books from people, Mayor Junior."

Said Mayor tried not to glare at the farmer, but he was sure some hatred oozed out of his eyes. Accidently, of course. "Well it's not very welcoming to fall on top of someone, either." Gill hopped to his feet and ripped the book from Ivy's grasp. "You took the wrong book."

"Looks the same to me… but Junior, I applaud your sense of style. Your book taste is almost as good as mine!" Said Ivy.

"Yeah, I guess." Gill sneered as politely as he could. He could not believe he was reading the same book as her. "I'm leaving."

As he strode past Ivy, she hooked her arm around his, whirling him back.

"Waity, wait. This ain't no speed race, you want to read together?" Ivy asked while balancing the book on her head with great enthusiasm.

Gill cleared his throat to stop from snapping at the girl. "Sorry, I have to get going." He said stiffly.

"Going where, going to town, going to see your dad, how about that Luna girly?"

All-knowing brown eyes gazed at Gill, making him shiver. Did she have to say it like that? So creepily?

"I-I guess I can stay a bit…" He said not wanting to be called out on his lie.

"Alright! Pop a squat, Lionel! This is a book party, a conga, no a fiesta!" Ivy cheered, falling to her butt with a laugh. She leaned against the rough tree.

Gill took a seat next to her with a sigh. "I don't know how far you are into this book, but no spoilers, okay?"

Ivy didn't answer, so he took that as an understanding.

And just like that Gill got wrapped up in his book again. Unaware of his surroundings or the girl reading next to him. Okay, he was a little aware of that, just a little.

* * *

Gill didn't know how long it had been. At least an hour when Ivy cried out in pain. He had looked up, about to shush her, when he saw the suffering in her face. Her eyes were closed and she clutching her stomach for dear life.

"Ow…!" She moaned.

Bewildered, Gill asked if she was alright.

Ivy weakly shook her head, her mouth pressed into a thin, grim line.

"H-hey, do you need to go to the doctor?"

"Ah…" Was his only reply.

He set his book down and helped her up. Gill was about to let her lean on him when she shoved him away.

"I… got…it." She said hobbling along at a turtle's pace, still holding her stomach.

Unable to do anything else, Gill walked slowly behind her. He glared at the back of her head. He should have gone home when he had the chance.

Finally they arrived at the clinic, taking them a good twenty minutes to get there. Gill held the door open and Ivy stumbled in. Doctor Jin and his grandmother looked up with shock on their faces.

"What's happened?" the doctor asked, holding up the pale Ivy.

"…Stomach." She barely got out before she swooned to the floor.

* * *

Gill glared at the sleeping girl safely tucked into bed. "I already told you, we were just sitting there, and then she just yelled out in pain."

Jin nodded and scribbled something on his notes. "So, she didn't seem like she was in pain before this did she?"

"No…Can I leave now?"

The doctor frowned at him making him feel guilty. "You don't want to stay with her?"

Gill felt like exploding. He wanted to shake the doctor by the shoulders and yell "I JUST MET HER A FEW DAYS AGO, SHE'S WEIRD, SHE'S CRAZY!" but he didn't. "No, not really." He said making the doctor's frown even more obvious.

"You guys aren't…?" Jin hinted.

Gill just stared. All he wanted to do was leave.

The noise of sheets rustling made him turn back to Ivy. She was awake now, blinking and looking around confused.

"Wait what?" Ivy got out of bed, looking tired but much better than before.

Jin pushed his way past Gill and sat Ivy back down on the bed.

"How do you feel, does your stomach hurt still?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I feel fresh. Like ice or a butterfly…You guys are the masters, what did you do?"

The doctor ignored her and felt her forehead. He took more notes.

"Ivy, what was the last thing you ate?"

"Um…?" She thought for a moment. "Uh…? I don't really recall, Doc."

Jin stopped taking notes, and looked up at her with a scowl. "When's the last time you ate?"

Ivy thought some more. "I don't really remember." She admitted. "Wait! I had some soup! That was, uh, a couple days ago, I think…"

Gill scoffed. He had to go through all this, just because she was hungry? Was it too late to sneak out the door?

Jin sighed and took off his glasses. "Well, that's your problem. You need to take better care of yourself! Eat three meals a day, do you understand?"

"Yuppy,guppy."

"Gill, would you come here a moment?" The doctor called him over to the clinic's counter, away from Ivy's ears.

"Yeah?" he asked, bored by the whole situation.

"I want you to take her to the Inn. Treat her to a meal, make sure she doesn't get distracted, make sure she eats a balanced meal. Can you do that?"

Gill glanced over at Ivy. She was humming some song with her eyes closed, snapping her fingers to the melody.

"Why me?" he hissed.

"Will you just do it?"

Gill grumbled something unintelligible and walked over to Ivy. "Come on."

Ivy stopped humming and looked at him. "What?"

"We're leaving."

When they left the chemical smelling clinic, Ivy sprinted ahead of Gill, skipping along merrily.

"Where we going now? To the beach? We gonna read some more?"

Shoot, we left our books by the tree. Gill thought. I'll have to get them later.

"To the Ocarina Inn, we're going there. I have to buy you a meal."

Ivy lit up. "Ah snap, thanks Junior! High five!"

Her high five was denied.

* * *

As they entered the Inn, Ivy started to chatter on about her farm and life here. Besides for a few grunts and head nods here and there, Gill wasn't really listening. He wasn't even making an effort to be polite anymore. That felt weird.

"Ivy! I haven't seen you in so so so so so so so so so so long!" Maya shrieked as she took their order.

"Hey there, chipper! How's the monkey swing. The monkeys swingin'?"

Maya giggled. "Yeah, whatever that means! Are you guys ready to order?"

"Yeah, yeah. I want the vegetable curry, hurry!"

Ivy's orange-haired friend cracked up. "Hey, that rhymed!"

Ivy winked at her. "Don't I know it."

"And Gill?"

"Huh? Oh I'll just have the tomato sandwich… with tomato juice."

"Gotcha."

As Maya skipped away, Ivy wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Poor show… tomatoes, forget about it Junior. Green Peppers are where it's at."

"What are you talking about, tomatoes are delicious." It was official Ivy was crazy. Acting crazy was one thing, talking crazy was another, but not liking tomatoes. Totally insane.

"Eat up, you guys!" Maya cheered as served up their plates.

Luckily Ivy was so focused on her food that she didn't speak much to Gill.

After they were finished, their meals eaten and paid for, they left. Gill practically dragging out Ivy who was chattering and giggling with Maya.

"Well that was a fun time, Junior. If you're ever itching to read again, come find me. I'll even let it be a date if you want. You have to buy me food of course, though." Ivy said, smirking.

She waved and skipped down the path to her farm. All Gill could do was shake his head in shock and stare. Yup, that girl had to go.


End file.
